If ever there was a right time for LaGrange College to do Stephen Sondheim’s musical
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” it is now, according to Kim Barber
Knoll, Chair of the Theatre Arts Department.

“It can be a really tough choice for a college production because of the demands
in every area – casting, acting, music, scenery, costumes, props and sound,”
she said. “We knew we had the students, faculty and guest actors to do it well.
And I knew that Nate Tomsheck, our scenic designer and Technical Director, and
Ashleigh Poteat, our costume designer, would do splendid work and really be able
to showcase their talents.”

Knoll also consulted with Dr. Toni Anderson, Chair of the Music Department.

“Toni and I felt the timing was right for both the Theatre Arts and Music departments,”
she said. “When we announced the production to the students, the response was fantastic.”

She then turned to Matthew Stuart, a professional director in New York. Knoll
and Stuart are longtime friends who collaborated on a production of “Sweeney Todd”
years ago at the Papermill Theatre in New Hampshire, and have always loved the
show.

“We used to joke about my coming down to LaGrange,” Stuart said. “Then last fall,
Kim called and said, ‘Now is the time for Sweeney.’ ”

Knoll is full of praise for the guest director.

“There is no one else who loves working with young actors more, and who can get
as much out of them as Matthew,” she said. “It is a difficult, extremely challenging
piece, but to pull it off and pull it off well, takes a director who is a really
great storyteller and for us, one who cares about working with young, about-to-become
professional actors.”

Stuart traveled to LaGrange for two weeks in August to lead a two-week intensive
rehearsal process.

“It was an incredible, intense experience for all of us,” Knoll said. “Matthew
arranged his schedule and actually gave up his summer vacation to work with us.
I think the students responded like real pros to the demands of that summer stock
schedule. It allowed them to focus on the project for literally eight to
nine hours each day. It was exhausting, rewarding and required so much discipline.
I can’t tell you how proud I am of all of our actors.”

The production will feature several guest artists, including Robby Glade as Sweeney
Todd and Ed Biggs as Judge Turpin. Two familiar faces also will be on stage. Knoll
takes on the role of Mrs. Lovett, which was made famous by Angela Lansbury; Dr.
Anderson will appear as the Beggar Woman.

Knoll said it’s important for the students to experience their professors “practicing
what they teach.”
“I love being onstage with them and watching them discover how significant each
actor’s work is to the overall success of the production,” she said. “Once I’m
onstage, I’m one of them, a member of this acting company. It’s a great feeling.”

The artistic team includes the “best of both worlds, theater and music, which
you must have to do this show,” she said.

“Debbie Ogle, Director of Choral Activities, is our musical director; Ken Passmore
is on the piano; Mitch Turner, Associate Professor of Music, is on the bass in
the pit; and we are thrilled to work with first lady Celeste Myall as our guest
conductor.”

Knoll said there are many misconceptions about “Sweeney Todd.”

“The stage production is not as dark as the recent film version with Johnny Depp,”
she said. “The stage show has a great sense of humor. This is Sondheim at his best,
a haunting and captivating story. While dark at times, there is a lot of tongue-in-cheek,
laugh-out-loud humor mixed in, and the score is unbelievable.”

Stuart concurred.

“It is silly, clever and full of sweeping passion,” he said. “Inside all the choral
numbers, you have 10 or 12 different viewpoints, all overlapping, singing and arguing.
It is so intricate yet is so fun. It’s great for actors because each actor has
his or her own quirky point of view. And each choral piece is different, giving
the actors opportunities to play both street people as well as the upper class.
For a college company, it’s such a rich piece to work on. You get to see how many
different layers a brilliant writer can put into one piece, even one song.”

Smiling, Knoll agreed.

“We have the company to pull off ‘Sweeney Todd,’ ” she said, “a tremendous accomplishment
for everyone involved.”

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” opens Homecoming Weekend and
will run Oct. 20–22 and Oct. 27–29. All performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tickets
at $15 for adults and $10 for non-LaGrange College students and senior citizens
are available at the Price Theater box office and go on sale Oct. 10. Faculty and
staff admission is free but tickets must be reserved in advance. This show is not
suitable for children. For more information, call the box office at (706) 880-8080
or email
priceboxoffice@lagrange.edu
.